Thinking Gray

There’s a quote I love, “ the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off ”and it applies here:  you will  find a way  to fit exercise into your life  if you want to . External changes will make it easier,  but we can’t always rely on those. Exercise has to be on your  priority  list. (Sometimes that’s just not going to happen. If it doesn’t matter to you as much as something else, that is ok, but you will keep running your mind ragged if you focus on the externals without examining the possible internal barriers) This is difficult for anyone to hear, about anything they feel they can't do, because we don't hear it - we hear something else .  With exercise, that ‘something else’ could be: “ You’re not doing enough, other people prioritise exercise but you don’t. You *should* want to fit it in. You must be lazy… ” and so on. It’s easy to get defensive , so we generate excuses. Although they're v alid , they don’t resolve the unde...

Alongside psychotherapy, I teach Les Mills group fitness classes. I used to do this because I wanted to be skinny - all my focus was on aesthetic benefits of exercise. As I’ve gotten more mature (or so I like to think!) , my reasoning has matured too - I want to be strong , powerful , and do things that feel impossible . It’s pretty easy to see how exercise achieves this physically, but can it also make you mentally stronger? Yes.  How? Exercise empowers you It builds your resilience   It strengthens your perseverance (Realistically 2 & 3 are the same thing because resilience is perseverance through adversity, but 3 is a better list number)  No matter who you are or what your fitness level, exercise is uncomfortable (to put it mildly). Whether you’re just starting out, maintaining your fitness, or extremely fit and trying a new type of exercise, it can always be challenging. BUT if you keep going, you get better at it… “The only way is up, b...

CANCER .   It’s a terrifying word. It’s a diagnosis that turns people’s lives upside down. The effects ripple through every facet of the sufferer’s life and the lives of their loved ones. My own family has experienced the devastating effects of terminal cancer in a loved one, and we will never really be whole again.  As horrible as this is, it’s not what I want to discuss today. Today I want to discuss survival , but not in the way you’d expect. This blog is inspired by a wonderful woman I know called J (who has given permission for me to tell her story). I met J online in a mums group that, honestly, saves my sanity. They are the most wonderful group of caring, sassy, badass mothers who can differ in opinion on topics like abortion and it doesn’t end catastrophically. Strange, I know, but I promise I’m not making it up!  J is currently in remission from breast cancer and this mums group has been there throughout her journey. J is a survivor ; she has batt...